Tag Archive | "Arts Outreach"

Theatre-at-Tusculum is seeking not only actors, singers and dancers, but also jugglers, unicyclists, acrobats, clowns and stilt-walkers for its fall production of the Tony Award winning musical, “Carnival!”

One and all are invited to audition to be a part of the glitter, excitement, romance and magic of “Cirque de Paris.” Director Marilyn duBrisk has gathered her gifted production staff together with guest artist Russ Crum, and plans to present another successful Theatre-at-Tusculum production to enchant the whole family on Nov. 4-6 and 11-13.

“Carnival!” requires a strong acting cast and able vocalists to bring the musical to life. Lead roles include Lili, an orphaned girl seeking a job in the carnival; Paul, a handsome puppeteer with a tragic past; Marco the Magnificent, the flamboyant magician (to be played by Crum), and the Incomparable Roselie, his vivacious partner. Other roles include B. J. Schlegal, owner of the carnival; Jaquot, Paul’s loyal partner; Grobert, a very nasty character, and a host of other carnival personalities and stars from roustabouts to exotic dancers, French clowns to Siamese twins.

Auditions for adults (high school age and above) are scheduled on Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 22-23. Registration will begin at 5 p.m. with auditions beginning at 6 p.m.

Children’s auditions (first through eighth grade) will be Wednesday, Aug. 24. Registration will begin at 3:30 p.m. with auditions starting at 4 p.m.

Call backs will be at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 25, as needed.

On Friday, Aug. 26, there will be a special audition for friendly performing dogs and their handlers at 5 p.m. Leashes are mandatory.

Those who many need “props” to illustrate their talent are asked to bring them to the audition.

The Tusculum College Community Chorus will present its spring concert on Monday, May 2.

The concert, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the Tusculum College campus. David Hendricksen is the conductor for the group and James Winfree is accompanist.

The first half of the program will feature repertoire for choir and organ. Beginning with British composer Martin Shaw’s setting of “With a Voice of Singing,” the choir will display both reflective and jubilant moods in “Grant Us Thy Peace” by Felix Mendelssohn; “All You Works of the Lord, Bless the Lord” by American composer Kenneth Jennings; “Let Nothing Ever Grieve Thee” by Johannes Brahms; “Festival Te Deum” by Benjamin Britten, and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” arranged by Gilbert Martin.

Following intermission, the chorus will sing a variety madrigals, folk songs and spirituals, Broadway tunes, and conclude “America the Beautiful.”

Throughout the evening, a variety of Community Chorus members will sing solo roles as well, including Candace Babb, Beth Brimer, Patricia Chesnut, Jill Jones, Jo Knabel, John Maddux, Phil Thwing, Angel West and Martha Wiley.

The chorus expresses appreciation to Cates Music Center of Johnson City, which has provided a temporary installation of an Allen digital organ for use for concert.

Founded in 1996 as a way to involve singers from throughout the community in a broad range of sacred and secular repertoire, the Tusculum College Community Chorus has grown to over 50 singers.

For further information about the chorus, please contact conductor David Hendricksen at 638-0409 or at conductordavid@embarqmail.com.

Trio Ginga will bring the music of Brazil to the stage at Tusculum College on Tuesday, April 26.

The musical group will perform at 7 p.m. in the Behan Arena Theatre on the lower level (side entrance) of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building. The performance is part of Tusculum College Arts Outreach’s 2010-11 Acts, Arts, Academia performance and lecture series.

Trio Ginga is the result of three virtuoso musicians who truly love Brazilian music coming together to create something beautiful while making people dance. Bassist Tony Nagy, guitarist David Martin and percussionist Dann Sherrill form the core of the group. “Using folkloric Brazilian rhythms, we aspire to create and play the music that we might hear in North America if transplanted Africans had been allowed to keep their drums,” says Sherrill of the band’s mission and vision.

The group’s music can be described as a combination of the Afro-Folkloric sounds of the Brazilian Northeast and the Bahia with the jazzy urbanity of Rio de Janeiro and a touch of some funky American soul.

Debora Brazil, the group’s featured vocalist, is from Florianopolis in the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil. She adds the Brazilian vibe and a tropical fashion sense to the group, drawing on her experience as an accomplished fashion designer.

Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 60 years of age and older and $5 for children 12 and under.